March 8, 2014 by Jesusegun Alagbe
Bill
Gates has returned to the top of Forbes magazine’s annual list of the
world’s richest people, as rising stock markets swelled the ranks of
billionaires, which included a record number of women.
With a net worth of $76bn, the Microsoft
Corp co-founder reclaimed the top spot after a four-year hiatus,
toppling Mexico’s telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu, who placed
second at $72bn, Forbes said in announcing the list on Monday.
Amancio Ortega, the Spanish founder of
clothing conglomerate Inditex SA, which includes the Zara fashion chain,
ranked third at $64bn.
Investing icon Warren Buffett, who runs
Berkshire Hathaway Inc and is a frequent bridge partner for Gates, was
fourth at $58.2bn. Oracle Corp chief Larry Ellison came in fifth at
$48bn.
Gates has topped the list in 15 of the last 20 years.
A record 1,645 billionaires with a total net worth of $6.4trn made Forbes’ list from 1,426 last year.
Just over 10 percent were female, with 172 women compared with 138 a year earlier.
Gates’ profile
William (Bill) H. Gates is founder,
technology advisor and board member of Microsoft Corporation, the
worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people
and businesses realise their full potential. He served as chairman of
the board until Feb. 4, 2014.
On June 27, 2008, Gates transitioned out
of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his global
health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He
shares his thoughts about the foundation and other topics on Gates
Notes, a website launched in January 2010. Gates continues to serve on
Microsoft’s Board of Directors and as an advisor on key development
projects.
Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in
Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a
Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher,
University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way
International.
Gates attended public elementary school
and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in
software and began programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University
as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer. While
at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC
for the first microcomputer – the MITS Altair.
In his junior year, Gates left Harvard to
devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with
his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer
would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they
began developing software for personal computers. Gates’ foresight and
his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of
Microsoft and the software industry.
Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft’s
mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology,
and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for
people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view,
reflected in its industry-leading investment in research and development
each year.
In 1999, Gates wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought,
a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems
in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is
available in more than 60 countries. Business @ the Speed of Thought” has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed on the best-seller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal”and on Amazon.com. Gates’ previous book, The Road Ahead published in 1995, was at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for seven weeks.
Gates has donated the proceeds of both
books to non-profit organisations that support the use of technology in
education and skills development.
In addition to his love for computers and
software, Gates founded Corbis, which is developing one of the world’s
largest resources of visual information – a comprehensive digital
archive of art and photography from public and private collections
around the globe. He is also a member of the board of directors of
Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which invests in companies engaged in diverse
business activities.
Philanthropy is very important to Gates.
He and his wife, Melinda, started a foundation in 2000 to help reduce
inequities in the United States and around the world. The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation supports philanthropic initiatives in the areas
of global health and learning, with the hope that in the 21st century,
advances in these critical areas will be available for all people.
Gates was married on Jan. 1, 1994, to
Melinda French Gates. They have three children. Gates is an avid reader,
and enjoys playing golf, tennis and bridge.
About his company
Microsoft is a multinational computer
technology corporation. The history of Microsoft began on April 4, 1975,
when it was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque. Its
current best-selling products are the Microsoft Windows operating system
and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software.
In 1980, Microsoft formed a partnership
with IBM that allowed them to bundle Microsoft’s operating system with
IBM computers, paying Microsoft a royalty for every sale. In 1985, IBM
requested that Microsoft write a new operating system for their
computers called OS/2; Microsoft wrote the operating system, but also
continued to sell their own alternative, which proved to be in direct
competition with OS/2. Microsoft Windows eventually overshadowed OS/2 in
terms of sales. When Microsoft launched several versions of Microsoft
Windows in the 1990s, they had captured over 90 per cent market share of
the world’s personal computers.
The company has now become largely
successful. As of 2008, Microsoft has a global annual revenue of US$
60.42bn and nearly 90,000 employees in 105 countries. It develops,
manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products
for computing devices.
Bill Gates Estates and Homes
Billionaire Bill Gates lives in an
uber-modern house built in a Pacific lodge style. It has a water front
area of approximately 500 feet and is spread over 66,000 sq feet. Noted
for its cutting-edge technology, this is an earth-sheltered home carved
into the side of a hill that overlooks Lake Washington. It has seven
bedrooms, 24 bathrooms including 10 full baths, six kitchens and equal
number of fire places.
Décor: A number of
ground-breaking technologies have been applied in new and fascinating
ways to make this home more livable. Seven varieties of stone, along
with a great deal of wood and glass have been in its interiors. It
features a large private library with dome shaped roof and oculus. It
also has an Olympic-sized private swimming pool with an underwater music
system with a floor painted in fossil motif. The exercise facilities
include all luxuries like sauna, steam room and a trampoline room with a
20-foot ceiling. A 20-seat art deco theatre spread over 1500 sq feet, a
wall dominated by 22-foot wide video display and 4-car attached garage
aggrandises the opulence of this home. In terms of technology, this home
easily outclasses its nearest competitor by miles.
Technology: Hundreds of
microcomputers are used, which make day to day tasks a breeze. The
lights are computer controlled and would gradually come on when you come
home. Speakers are hidden beneath the wallpaper to allow music to
follow you from room to room. Portable touch pads control everything
from the TV sets to the temperature and the lights, which brighten or
dim to fit the occasion or to match the outdoor light. The guests to
Bill Gates House are surveyed and given a special pin to wear upon
entrance. This small pin connects them to the home’s electronic
services, which automatically adapts to their tastes.
Bill Gates Islands
Through his world’s largest software
company Microsoft, Bill Gates has earned himself a fortune that few
people can even dream of. So, it does not come as a surprise that he
owns the largest island in Republic of Belize; The Grand Bugue Island.
This inviting piece of land is known for its superb beaches and an
astounding variety of marine life, which consists of colourful sponges,
tunicates, sparkling starfish and dolphins. The changing colours of
water, which ranges from the deepest of blue to palest green, add to the
mysticism and beauty of the place. Also, this land promises excellent
and multiple opportunities for large scale resort development and
tourism.
Gates’ library
Gates loves reading magazines and journals. His regular reads include the every page of The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and Business Week.
At times, he also goes through issues of Time and People. To satiate
his intellectual hunger he has built a full-fledged library at his
waterfront estate in Washington DC.
Bill has a knack of collecting the rarest
pieces of art. Even if he has to shell out millions of dollars for
that, it hardly matters.
Cars
The Porsche 911 Carrera: This is
love at first sight. But it is much more than just a car with its
outstanding visual appeal and shiny edges. Under its hood is a 3.4 litre
24-valve 6-cylinder engine which develops 296 horsepower and a torque
of 258 lb. The rear-mounted, water-cooled engine renders awesome
acceleration taking the car from 0 to 60 mph in just around 5 seconds.
Being a self-professed speed lover, Bill certainly has taken fancy to
this car. Taking engineering to higher levels, Porche designed this
convertible using copious amount of stainless steel, which has increased
its torsional stiffness by 45 per cent and bending stiffness by 50 per
cent relative to its coupe version. The manufacturer’s Suggested Retail
Price (MSRP) begins at $74,460 ($109,000 Canadian) for the Cabriolet.
Sources: reuters.com, Microsoft.com, bornrich.com
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